Christian wehnee



(No Model.) v 2 SheetsSheet 1.

0. WEHNER.

' I MIDDLINGS PURIPIFR. No. 287,597. Patented Oct. 30, 1883.

B I e ATTORNEYS N. PEYERS. Fholo-Lillwgnphcr, wnmn mn. n. c.

(N o Model.) I

C. WEHNER.

MIDDLINGS PURIFIER.

Patented Nd. 287,597. Oct. 30, 1883.

I INYENTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

ATTORNEYS N, FETERS. Pholo-ll'lhognpkm Wnshinglnn. me

' UNITE STATES} onnrsrinnwnnnnn, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

PATENT OFFICE. A

MIDDLIINGSV-PUVR-IFIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 1\ To. 287,597, dated October 30, 1883.

To all whom it may concern.- e 7 Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN WEHNER,

Y of the city, county, and State of New York,

have invented certain new and. useful Im-' provements in Middlings-Purifiers, of which the following is a specification. V

This invention has reference to certain improvements in the construction of middlings purifiers, whereby the more perfect separation of the flour particles from the bran, and consequently a greater yield and a betterquality. of flour, may beobtained. V I

' In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my improved middlings -'purifier. Figs. 2. and 3 are, respectively, a detail horizontal section of the mechanism for locking the oscillating screens and a detail vertical longitudinal section'of the same; and Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal boxes E, and below the same in the casing the symmetrically-arranged separating-chambers. F F, into which the screen-boxes dis charge their contents. The side walls of the casing A are provided with glass-covered eyeholes a, and with means for adjusting a num ber of draft-regulating deflectors that are arranged at theinterior of the separating-chambers F F. Intermediately between the separating-chambers F F is arranged a vertical transverse air .trunk or passage, F in which the air-currents that are drawn in, by the action of the suction-fan 0, through openings in the end walls of the casing A are united and then conducted through bottom channels, F and the fan casing C to the outside. v

The nuddlings to be separated are conducted to the machine through the hopper B, the lower part of which is arranged with a Application filed June 28, 183. (No model.) g

means of a screw-nut, I)", applied to the threaded shank of the gate, which'shank is guided in exterior lugs, 12', of the hopper, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. The roller bis revolved by a belt-and-pulley transmission from the shaft of the suction-fan and the slide-gate I), set to proper height, whereby a uniform and accu- 'rately-controllable supply of the middlings to the screensE E is supplied. The screenboxes E E are hung to band-springs c e, that are secured by fastening devices e e to the posts A A, and oscillated'by eccentrics 6 that are connected by straps e to the screen-boxes E E. The eccentrics e are keyed to a transverse shaft, ef, which is also revolved by a belt-and-pulley transmission from the fanshaft.

Immediately below the feed-hopper B is arranged a narrow finely-meshed screen, E

' and below the same a transverse channel, E,

with inclined bottom, which communicates with a discharge-trunk, E*, through which the finest particles of flour are directly COn ducted off without passing through the entire machine.- From the screen E 'the middlings' pass to the first screen, E, which is of somewhat wider mesh than the screen E, and then over the same to the second screen E, which is of still wider mesh than the first screen E. The larger particles, which cannot pass fitted. The inner end strips of thescreens E E are supported on'shoulders or seats 6? of the transverse center piece, 6 of the-screen-boXes E Ef, said center piece being provided in suitable recesses with fulcrumed and springacted fingers e and with iulcrumed catches e",

that are thrown laterally across the shoulders I downwardly-inclined strips f against which a of the center piece, 0 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The inner forked ends of the catches e are pivoted to an actuating-rod, c which extends through a socket, c, of the center piece, 6, to the outside, it being provided at its outer end with a button or handle, 0, for actuating the catches c. A spiral spring, 0, is interposed between the button a and the socket e of the actuating-rod 0 so as to return the latter to the normal position when the pressure on the rod is relaxed.

Vhen it is desired to place the screens E E into position in the screen-boxes E E, the rounded-off ends are first placed on the concave seats c of the end pieces, 0, and then the opposite strips of the screens dropped on the seats or shoulders c of the center piece, 6, and pressed down upon the spring-actuated fingers, so as to press them down into their recesses, as shown in Fig. 3. The catches e are simultaneously pushed back by hook-shaped projections c of the screens, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3,) and the screens then locked by the catches and projections when fully seated on the transverse center piece, c

\Vhen it is desired to remove the screens E E, the actuating-rod e 'is pushed in, whereby the locking-catches c are released from the projections c of the screens, and the latter then lifted by the spring-fingers 0 above the catches 6", so that they can be readily removed for being cleaned or repaired. By this arrangement the screens are reliably held in position during the running of the machine, but are quickly removed and replaced after the machine is stopped without any loosening and tightening of screens or otherwise releasing the fastening devices used with the shaking-screens of purifiers heretofore in use. The bottoms of the screen-boxes E E are made hoppershaped, and provided with a transverse discharge-opening, e, that is located near the end walls of the separating chambers F F. The middlings are dropped from the screenboXesE in a fine sheet into troughs formed by inclined and converging pieces f f vertically below the openings 6. The air is drawn in through the transverse air-induction openings f in the end walls of the casingA, then along the inclined pieces f, which serve to deflect the air-currents in a downward direction, so that they strike and break up the fine sheet of middlings, and carry them toward and over deflectors D, that are pivoted to the side walls of the casing at the apices of the inner inclined strips, f. The base part of the deflectors D is rounded off, so as to fit accurately into concave grooves of said strips, as shown in Fig. 4. One of the pivots of the deflectors D is provided at the outside'of the casing with a pointer or index ar.n, D, that is set bya set-screw along an arc-shaped scale to procgicethe required inclination of the deflectors From the apices of the inclined strips f extend, at the opposite side of the deflectors D,

the middlings that are carried by the air-currents over the deflectors D impinge, so as to be conducted around the same to the interior of the separating-chamber F or F. Below the troughs and inclined strip f 2 are arranged inclined chutes or conveying-channels, that are separated by transverse partitions, and thence through their valved openings to the diiferent storage-binsfas customary in middlingspurifiers. The heaviest particles are dropped through the openings in the troughs formed by the inclines ff to the conductingchutes vertically belowthe same. The lighter particles are carried over the deflectors and along the inclined strips f and then dropped and conducted off, while the still lighter particles are drawn over centrally-pivoted and oscillating deflectors D that are arranged intermediately between the troughs f f and the transverse walls of the central air trunk or channel, F. The pivots of the deflectors D, at one side thereof, are extended to the outside of the easing and provided with exterior weighted arms d, as shown in Fig. 1, by which the deflectors D are balanced. They adjust themselves automatically to the proper degree of inclination,

according to the pressure of the currents upon them. The finer particles of flour are thereby conducted in a more or less upwardly-inclined direction over the oscillating deflectors D", and the finest and lightest particles drawn over pivoted deflectors D, that are arranged in openings of the walls of the transverse airtrunk F The automatically-yielding deflectors D, being interposed between the deflectors D and D", serve not only as obstructions and guides to deflect the air-currents laden with middlings of varied fineness from direct lines to the-exit-openings, but they have a flapping or vibratory motion, which again disturbs the middlings and more thoroughly separates the finer from the coarser particles thereof. The deflectors D are adjusted to a more or less inclined position by exterior index-arms, d, along graduated scales of the casing A, in the same manner as the deflectors D, as shown in Fig. 1, they being rigidly secured by set-screws to the proper position, as required by the force of the draft and the character of the middlings to be purified.

By means of the glass-covered openings a the course of the middlings at the interior of the separating chamber can be readily observed from the outside and the deflectors adjusted accordingly. The lighter particles are finally drawn over the deflectors D, and, through the air-trunk F, bottom channels, F, and fan-casing, to the outside, as indicated by arrows in Fig. 4. The same operation takes place in both separating-chambers F and F, the air-currents uniting in the center trunk, F", whereby the middlings are not only effectively graded, but also the bran separated from all the particles of flour adhering thereto by the repeated impact of the same with the different deflectors, whereby'a better yield of flour and a more perfect separation of the middlings are obtained.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to. secure by Letters Patent 1. In a middlings-purifier, the combination of the screen i boxes having transverse end pieces with concave seats, detachable screens having rounded-off strips at one end, and means for locking the opposite end strips of the screens to the transverse center piece of the screenboxes substantially as set forth.

2. In a middlings-purifier, the combination of screens of different mesh, a screen-box provided with a transverse center piece, spring- 1 actuated lifting-fingers, locking-catches that,

engage the screens, a rod foroperating the catches, and aspring for retaining them in looking position, substantially as described.

3. In a middlingspurifier, the automatically-yielding deflectors D in combination with a suction-fan and induction-openings,

\Vitnesses:

CARL KARP, SIDNEY MANN.

CHRISTIAN IVEHNEB. 

